SUBJECT: Local Students Take on Tobacco Education Awareness Campaign

NEWS RELEASE

TO: Eastern U.P. Media

FROM: Julie K.O. Trotter, Tobacco-Free Projects Coordinator Chippewa County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator

SUBJECT: Local students take on tobacco education awareness campaign

CONTACT: Julie K.O. Trotter, 635-3636

DATE: December 12, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sault Ste. Marie, December 2007— Tobacco education presentations and community awareness campaigns about smoke-free living are activities that teens at Sault High School will soon have underway to prevent, reduce or stop peer smoking. The activities are part of the “Fight the Light, Fight for Life” tobacco awareness campaign funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan through the 2007-08 school year at 27 Michigan high schools. The students who will partake locally are members of the Working on Wellness Group (WOW) at Sault High School and will become Youth for Truth members of the Chippewa County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. The grant activities will be coordinated by Julie Trotter, Chippewa County Health Department Tobacco-Free Projects Coordinator.

“Encouraging teens to live tobacco-free is part of our comprehensive program to improve the health of all Michigan residents,” said Lynda Rossi, Blues vice president of public policy and social mission. “We want to do all we can to prevent youngsters from facing serious health conditions later on in life. Blues efforts to improve the health of young people range from tackling teen tobacco use to our commitment to the state’s MIChild program, which provides health and dental coverage to eligible children.”

The high school campaign is just one part of the Blues" comprehensive tobacco prevention efforts. BCBSM has partnered with the American Lung Association of Michigan and Tobacco-Free Michigan (www.tobaccofreemichigan.org), a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting tobacco-free environments and improving the health and quality of life for Michigan residents through education and advocacy.

The BCBSM grant consists of several components. First at hand, interested students will be participating in a peer mentoring program called Teens Against Tobacco Use, which is an educational program designed to help teens develop strong leadership skills while influencing younger children to live tobacco-free lifestyles. They will participate in a half-day training session to begin preparations to present tobacco awareness presentations to middle school students after the New Year.

The grant also promotes the 24/7 Tobacco-Free Schools policy and implementation of the Michigan Model for Comprehensive School Health tobacco and secondhand smoke modules at every participating school. To assist in gathering local data, high school students will be surveyed about attitudes toward tobacco use. Finally, individuals seeking tobacco cessation information and/or assistance will be directed to the Michigan Tobacco Quitline at 800-QUIT-NOW 800-784-8669.

As an introductory activity to the grant, the WOW students collaborated with the Chippewa County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition to promote the importance of tobacco cessation, tobacco-free lifestyles and smoke-free environments on the American Cancer Society Great American Smoke-out in November. An information display booth and T-shirt drawing were set up and overseen by the WOW students in the high school cafeteria. Anna Hallai and Marisa Berlinger are pictured below as they prepare for the event. Winners of the counter-tobacco advertising T-shirts, which were donated by Chippewa County Health Department Prevention and Sault Tribe Community Health are Abby Van Sumeren and Tasha Turner.

Additional tobacco cessation and smoke-free lifestyles information was made available to the community via booths set up at Kmart of Sault Ste. Marie and Lake Superior State University Quarter Deck (dining hall). Karen Senkus, Chippewa County Health Department Prevention Coordinator, is pictured below talking with LSSU students about the Great American Smoke-out celebration. The winners of the T-shirt drawing at LSSU and K-mart respectively are: Tom Whitsel and Liz Church.

For more information, please call the Chippewa County Health Department Tobacco-Free Projects at 635-3636.